Torture within Cameroon’s detention centers has long been an open secret, but the recent release of a harrowing video depicting the brutal torture of popular musician Longue Longue has peeled back layers of horror. Though this shocking video may be one among few of its kind to reach the public, it is not an isolated incident, nor will it likely be the last. Longue Longue’s case is part of a widespread, systematic regime of brutality within Cameroon’s prisons and military detention facilities. This regime operates with impunity, frequently targeting Ambazonian detainees, political prisoners, and perceived opponents of the state.
Longue Longue, a celebrated artist in Cameroon, was first arrested in 2019 and taken to the State Secretariat for Defense, commonly known as SED, in Yaoundé. SED, which functions as a centralized detention facility, has been described by rights organizations and survivors as a hub of torture where detainees are stripped of their dignity and humanity. Since the release of the video from SED, Longue Longue has become the face of the struggle against torture in that country, as public outrage grows over his treatment. His popularity has intensified public interest and scrutiny. However, this outcry must extend beyond Longue Longue, for he is only one among many who have faced such inhumanity at the hands of the state.
Before and since his case, numerous Ambazonian detainees, political activists, and everyday civilians have faced similar or worse torture within Cameroonian prisons. Figures like Abdulkarim Ali and countless others have suffered brutal abuse and remain behind bars. There are prisoners in Kondengui prison who are dying from injuries sustained from excruciating torture. I wish we could show you some of the images in our keeping of a prisoner in Kondenguie losing his manhood from the torture he received at the hands of Cameroon’s state security operatives. Abdulkarim, a well-known figure in the struggle for Ambazonian freedom, has also undergone similar torture, released only to be detained again in a relentless cycle of abuse.
In one particularly egregious case, Beza Berist, a sister to the late “Field Marshall” of Ambazonia, was arrested from her apartment and taken to the very torture facility in Yaoundé. Her treatment at SED echoes the worst excesses of state-sanctioned torture. She described how the commander of the unit supervised her torture, ordering her legs to be bound together. A female officer was then instructed to stand on her bundled legs while other officers beat her on the soles of her feet—a method known to induce excruciating pain and long-term nerve damage. Between sessions, her torturers would pour cool water over her legs, a technique aimed at intensifying the pain once the beatings resumed. This torture, carried out in the shadowed confines of SED, serves as an emblematic illustration of what Ambazonian detainees and activists have been subjected to, while most of the world remains unaware.
Yet even for those outside the prison walls, brutality often occurs in public spaces, with no attempt at discretion. The brazen nature of these abuses raises troubling questions. Why has the regime in Yaoundé, so quick to react with alarm to the torture of Longue Longue, remained silent or dismissive of similar atrocities faced by Ambazonians and other detainees? Why do international human rights organizations, often vocal in condemning human rights abuses elsewhere, fail to speak out more forcefully against the abuses suffered by these invisible prisoners?
The distinction here may be that Longue Longue, being a Francophone and a citizen of La République du Cameroun (LRC), has sparked broader sympathy, whereas the suffering of Ambazonians—often regarded as dissidents or separatists by the Cameroonian government—has largely been relegated to obscurity. However, torture is a violation of human dignity and international law, irrespective of nationality or political stance. The United Nations Human Rights Committee, currently convened in Geneva, must take this distinction into account when appraising Cameroon’s human rights record. It is imperative that they have access to the growing body of evidence of torture and abuse in Cameroonian detention centers.
Videos, testimonies, and detailed reports of torture have begun to circulate on social media, exposing the truth of what happens behind prison walls and in the open space in LRC. These testimonies present undeniable evidence of systemic abuse and call for immediate intervention. LRC government, faced with public outcry over Longue Longue’s treatment, has vowed to hold the perpetrators accountable. While this promise may seem to reflect a newfound commitment to justice, the history of the state’s actions toward Ambazonian detainees tells a different story.
In cases like those of Abdulkarim Ali, Beza Berist, and others, justice has been notably absent. The Cameroonian government’s history of handling cases of torture has largely consisted of denying allegations, minimizing abuses, or even justifying them as necessary measures against “terrorists” or “separatists.” Such designations allow the government to classify Ambazonian detainees as threats to state security, granting security forces a disturbing level of impunity in their treatment of these individuals.
The United Nations has long called for the humane treatment of detainees, regardless of nationality, political belief, or alleged crime. It is imperative that the international community—including the UN Human Rights Committee—apply pressure on Cameroon to extend justice to all victims of torture, including Ambazonians. Every survivor of torture, including those silenced in the shadows, deserves justice and compensation for the irreparable harm inflicted on them.
The spotlight that Longue Longue’s case has cast on Cameroon’s human rights abuses is a necessary first step, but the journey toward accountability must not end with him. For justice to be meaningful, it must be impartial and apply to all victims. The outcry over Longue Longue’s torture will be hollow if it does not demand accountability for the abuses suffered by Ambazonian detainees as well.
Ambazonian voices, like that of Abdulkarim, Beza Berist, and countless others, have been largely ignored by the international community. It is a bitter irony that only now, when the victim is a well-known Cameroonian artist, does the nation appear to take seriously the torture practices at SED. If Cameroon is truly alarmed at the inhumanity displayed in the video of Longue Longue’s torture, then it must also condemn and rectify the ongoing torture of Ambazonian detainees.
Cameroon’s assurances to hold perpetrators accountable should be met with a firm, principled stance from the United Nations. An impartial investigation should be carried out to determine the extent of torture in Cameroon’s prisons, and it should include testimonies and documented accounts from all detainees, not just those who command widespread public attention. The government’s obligations to prevent torture, protect detainees, and compensate victims of torture are enshrined in international law.
The UN’s current appraisal of Cameroon’s human rights record should not ignore the troubling disparity in the treatment of Francophone and Southern Cameroonian detainees. This review provides an opportunity for the UN to confront Cameroon’s government with the documented evidence of torture and demand comprehensive reforms within the prison system. The videos circulating on social media, such as the ones you see, as well as testimonies from survivors like Beza Berist and others, represent a call to action for all defenders of human rights.
Ultimately, any attempt to address human rights abuses within Cameroon must include a strong commitment to dismantling the culture of impunity that has long protected the perpetrators of torture. Cameroonian officials may pledge justice for Longue Longue, but the world must demand justice for every detainee, every prisoner, and every citizen who has suffered at the hands of this oppressive system.
Cameroon’s government cannot claim a moral high ground while selectively applying its promises of justice. If it is serious about confronting its internal issues, it will need to address all cases of torture—whether the victims are celebrated artists or lesser-known political detainees. This case is not merely about one man’s suffering; it is a test of Cameroon’s willingness to uphold the principles of justice and human rights for all.
The United Nations Human Rights Committee and the global community bear a responsibility to ensure that justice is impartial and that every survivor of torture in Cameroon is granted the recognition and reparation they deserve.
